Safety device for vehicles.



No. 872,849. PATENTED DEC. 3, 1901 a M. D. ROSA. SAFETY DEVICE FORVEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. 1907.

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No. 872,849. PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907.

' M. D. ROSA."

SAFETY DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOI'? A TTOHNEYS= w Mama aZd 0.360 fif/ fiez UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARCO DALLA ROSA, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOJOHN DE BONA, UMBERTO DE BONA, VITTORIO DE BONA, SANTO BARON, ANDAGOSTINO LOSSO,

ALL OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR- VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907'.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARco DALLA ROSA, a subject of the King of Italy,and a resident of New Rochelle, in the county of Westchester and Stateof New York, have invented a new and Improved Safety Device forVehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to safety devices for vehicles.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, strong and efficientsafety device for vehicles, by means of which the draft animals can beinstantly released from the vehicle in case of necessity.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter, by means of which in case of emergency the brakes can be setsimultaneously with the release of the draft animals from the vehicle.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts tobe more particularly described hereinafter and fully set forth in theclaims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis-specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a vehicle, showing my invention applied thereto; Fig.

2 is an enlarged side elevation of my invention; Fig. 3 is a plan viewshowing parts in horizontalcross-section on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig.4 is a front elevation of a detail; Fig. 5 is an elevation of a detailshowing a part in cross-section on the line- 5,5 ofFig. 3; Fig. 6 is anenlarged vertical cross-section .of a detail; and Fig. 7 is an enlargedvertical cross-section of a further detail.

Before proceeding to a more detailed eX- planation of my invention, itshould be understood that accidents due to the running away of horsesattached to vehicles are often a source of great danger to life andlimb. In an accident of this kind, where it is practically impossible tocontrol the frightened animals by means of the reins, or where thelatter have become loosened or broken, the occupants of the vehicle arepractically helpless and can make no efiective efforts toward stoppingthe animals to avoid injury. To obviate this danger my inventionprovides means for instantly releasing the horses from a vehicle, whileat the same time, the brakes of the vehicle are set to bring the same toa stop. While the brake cooperates with my safety device it can be usedindependently, as a brake, without interference with the safety device.1

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the body ofthe vehicle having rear wheels 2 and front wheels 3. The vehicle can ofcourse, be of any preferred or common form. At the side of the vehicleis arranged a brake-rod 4. slidably carried in a guide socket 5. At theend, .the brake-rod has a brake-shoe 6 of the usual kind and adapted toengage the rim of a rear wheel in the usualmanner. A similar brake-rodis engaged at the opposite side of the vehicle and is connected rigidlywith the first brakerod by means of a cross-bar 7. The brakerod 4 ispivotally joined at the forward end to a hand brake lever 8 pivotallymounted upon a suitable bracket 9 at the side of the vehicle. the usualhandle 10 adjacent to the seat 11 for the driver of the vehicle. At theside, the vehicle further has a guide-bracket 12 to limit the movementof the brake-lever, the latter being slidably arranged between thebracket and the side of the vehicle. The front wheels 3 are mounted onthe usual axle 13 carried at the under side of an axle-bar 14 in asuitable recess 15. The axle-bar is pivoted at the under side of thevehicle body by means of the usual king-bolt 14*, so that the frontwheels can be turned laterally to guide the vehicle.

Rigidly mounted upon the axle-bar 14 by means of arms 17 is a V-shapedsocket member 16; the arms. 17 are rigid with both the axle-bar and thesocket so that when the socket is moved laterally in one direction orthe other the axle is turned correspondingly. A wedge-shaped member 18is removably arranged in the socket 16 and is The upper end of thebrake-lever has I rigidly secured to the draft attachment 19 by means ofwhich the horses or other animals are secured to the vehicle. Hinged atthe lower forward edge of the socket is a retaining member 20 mounted onthe socket by means of suitable hinges 21. opposite to the hinges, theretaining member 20 has projecting pins22; the pins are arranged at theopposite ends of the member and when the latter is in position at theopen- At the edge 1 finger 29.

ing of the V-shaped socket the pins project upwardly beyond the latter.Near the center, the retaining member is cut away to form a recess 23 topermit the extension therethrough of the means for securing the draftattachment to the wedge-shaped member 18. A lever 24 is pivoted at theupper side of the axle-bar 14 by means of a hinge 25. The forward end ofthe lever 24 is bifurcated and presents outwardly disposed forks 26presenting openings 27 near the ends, serving to engage the pins 22 ofthe retaining member 20 to hold the same in position.'

The lever 24 has a slot 28 through which the king-bolt 14 extends. swungupwardly about the hinge 25 the forks are disengaged from theretainingmember and the latter is moved'aside by the thrust of the wedgeshaped member 18 thereagainst, and thus the pull of the draft animalsinstantly releases them from the vehicle. The lever 24 has the endslotted; in the slotted end is arranged a pivoted curved A second lever30 is pivoted upon an arm 31 carried at the under side of the vehiclebody andhas an elongated slot 32 in which the finger 29 is slidablyarranged. Thus the lever 24 can turn with the movement of the axle,while at the same time remaining in operative engagement with the lever30. A cotter-pin 33 prevents the accidental displacement of the fingerfrom the slot 32.

A vertical link 34, having at the lower end an extension located in aslot at the end of the lever 30, is pivotally oined to the lever 30 andhas at its upper end a transverse opening 38. .An operating lever 35having a slot 36 at one end, is pivoted at the side of the vehicle body.A curved pivoted finger 37 is arranged in the slot 36 and extendsthrough the transverse opening 38 in the link 34. A cotter-pin 39 servesto hold the finger 37 against accidental displacement. The free end ofthe operating lever 35 may be .provided either with a handle for manualoperation or with a pedal extension 40, so that it can be depressed bythe foot of the operator. When the operating lever 35 is depressed, thelink 34 is moved upwardly thereby swinging the lever 30 about itspivotal point to depress the adjacent end of the lever 24, therebyreleasing the retaining a rigid arm 42 extending .toward the brakeleverand presenting at the outer end a fork When the lever 24 is i tiveposition, the brake can be controlled by the usual movement of the brakelever which can operate independently ofthe safety mechanism.

Having thus described myinvention I claim ent:

1. Ina device of the class described, a socket, a member removablyarranged in said socket and adapted to be rigidly secured to a draftattachment, a retaining member hinged to said socket and adapted to holdsaid member within said socket, said retaining member having aprojection extending beyond said socket when said retaining member is inan operative position, a pivoted lever having an opening adapted toengage said projection, a second lever having an elongated slot, saidfirst lever slidably engaging said slot, an operating lever, and a linkconnecting said operating lever and said second lever.

2. In a device of the class described, a socket, a member removablyarranged in as new, and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 1 said socketand adapted to be rigidly secured pivoted lever having an elongated slotengaging said finger, an operating lever, and a link connecting saidoperating lever and said second lever.

j 3. In a device of the class described, a socket, a member removablyarranged in said socket and adapted to be rigidly secured i to a draftattachment, a retainingmember hinged to said socket, a pivoted leveradapted to engage said retaining member to hold the same in an operativeposition, said lever having a pivoted finger, a second lever having anelongated slot engaging said finger, an operating lever having a pivotedfinger, and a link operatively connected with said second lever, saidlink having an opening engaging said pivoted finger of said operatinglever.

4. In a device of the. classdescribed, a socket, a member removablyarranged in said socket, a retaining member hinged to said socket andadapted to hold said member within said socket, a lever engaging saidretaining member to hold the same in an oplerative position, anoperating lever controlling said first lever and adapted to be operatedto release said retaining member, and a brake lever, said operatinglever having an arm adapted operatively to engage said brake lever whensaid operating lever is operated.

5. In a device of the class described, a socket, a member removablyarranged in said socket and adapted to be secured to a draft attachment,a retaining member hinged at said socket and having a projection, apivoted lever removably engaging said projection to hold said retainingmember in an operative position, a second pivoted lever operativelyconnected with said first lever, an operating lever for controlling saidsecond lever, and a brake lever, said operating lever having an armpresenting a fork adapted operatively to engage said brake lever, whensaid operating lever-is operated.

6. In a device of the class described, a socket, a member removablyarranged in said socket and adapted to be rigidly secured to a draftattachment, a retaining member hinged to said socket and having aprojection, a pivoted lever adapted removably to engage said projection,said lever having a pivoted finger, a second pivoted lever having anelongated slot, said finger being slidably carried in said slot, anoperating lever, a link connecting said operating lever and said sec ondlever, and a rigid extension on said operating lever and presenting aforked end adapted to engage a brake lever to operate thedsame when saidoperating lever is actuate In testimony whereof I have signed my name tothis specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARCO DALLA ROSA.

Witnesses:

JOHN K. BRAOHVOGEL, JOHN P. DAVIS.

